


Mercy (and Other Impossible Things)

by lucidscreamer



Series: 100 Yu-Gi-Oh Prompts [8]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Dysfunctional Family, Family Drama, Gen, Gothic, M/M, POV Kaiba Seto, Shadow magic, Vampire Family, Vampire Lord Atem, Vampire Seto
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-04
Updated: 2019-04-04
Packaged: 2020-01-04 12:23:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,189
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18343619
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lucidscreamer/pseuds/lucidscreamer
Summary: Seto had overcome worse obstacles than his own pride. If abasing himself and throwing himself on Pharaoh's mercy was what it took to help Mokuba, then Seto was prepared to do it.





	Mercy (and Other Impossible Things)

**Author's Note:**

> started: 2009  
> finished: 4/2/2019
> 
> Prompt: 36. Guilt (100 YGO Prompts)  
> Prompt: 02. Distance (10 Vampires)
> 
> Series: 100 YGO (prompted) Ficlets
> 
> Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! is the creation of Kazuki Takahashi. No ownership of the canon characters, settings, or events is claimed and none should be implied.
> 
> Another remnant from past NaNo attempts.

Returning to the Pharaoh's enclave had not been a part of Seto's plans, but recent events had given him no choice. Years ago, he had left in defiance and anger, determined to show Atem that -- despite the fate that bound them together -- Seto could survive on his own. Now, that same fate had forced him back here. And this time he wasn't alone.

He glanced down at the sleeping form beside him on the seat of the car. His new "little brother" twitched slightly, as something disturbed his dreams. Taking one hand off the wheel, Seto trailed his fingertips lightly over the boy's brow. Tendrils of magic danced briefly in the air before settling into the boy's skin. The tension in his body eased as he sank into a deeper sleep.

This would be difficult for them both, Seto knew. For Mokuba, the difficulty would be in adjusting to his new life -- away from that abusive asshole who called himself a father, in a strange place with strange people surrounding him and, most of all, the new bond between him and Seto. For Seto... Well, he had overcome worse obstacles than his own pride. If abasing himself and throwing himself on Pharaoh's mercy was what it took to help Mokuba, then Seto was prepared to do it.

　

o0o

　

Physically, nothing about the enclave seemed to have changed in the decades since Seto's departure. The same iron gates guarded the long, curving driveway leading up to the main house. The same trees lined the drive and sheltered the lawn, the same flower gardens scented the air with the fragrance of nightblooming jasmine and moonflower. The same air of oppressive stagnation permeated the opulent interior of the mansion when the butler bowed him inside the dark foyer.

And Malik Ishtar greeted Seto with the same condescending smirk he'd used to wish him farewell. "Lord Set." Malik gave him a shallow bow. "Welcome home."

"Ishtar." The name came out as more of a growl than a word. Seto tightened his grip on his emotions and shifted Mokuba in his arms, the spell laid upon him in the car ensuring that the boy continued to sleep. Even so, Mokuba whimpered a bit, his pain too great for the magic to suppress. Seto glared at Malik. "You know why I'm here."

Malik's smirk widened into a malicious grin. He gestured and the large man who had been lurking in the background stepped forward. "Odion will take your servant to your suite, Lord Set." Pure hatred glimmered in Malik's pale eyes. "The Pharaoh has been expecting you. He'll call for you when he's ready."

Reluctantly, Seto allowed Odion to take Mokuba from his arms. He glared at Malik. "And in the meantime?"

"Lady Isis _requests_ \--" The emphasis he placed on the word made it clear that Isis' request was more of a command. "--you join her in the shrine."

　

o0o

　

The meeting with Isis had gone about as well as he had expected. That is to say, she had annoyed him with her cryptic drivel about destiny, and he had told her to get over herself. He might not be on the best footing with Atem at the moment due to his perceived disobedience, but Seto had no intentions of actively fighting his Pharaoh. That sort of betrayal was abhorent to him; Seto might not be a sycophant like Malik or Mahaad, but he no traitor either. That she would try to convince Seto that becoming one was his ultimate fate only infuriated him.

They parted ways, Isis presumably retreating back to her incense-filled rooms for more consorting with visions and Seto hurrying to find the boy he had adopted as his "brother."

　

o0o

　

As they had been doing all too often since he bound Mokuba to him, Seto's Shadows fought his control as he followed Odion to the suite of room that had been Seto's when he lived in the mansion. Seto wrestled the magic into submission, determined to show no weakness before his cousin's lackey. But the internal battle not only played havok with his mental shields, it took a toll on his body. His joints were aching by the time they entered the family wing. When they finally reached the door to Seto's suite, Odion turned a knowing look on him, and Seto realized he hadn't fooled the man for even a moment.

"Here we are, Lord Set." Odion opened the door for him. "Your servant is within. Is there anything further which you require?"

"Privacy."

Odion gave him a shallow bow. "Of course. Should there be anything else, simply call... or send your servant, if you prefer."

Yeah, right. Stiffening his spine, Seto swept into the darkened room. Without another word, he shut the door in the servant's face.

The darkness was no deterent to one with eyes made to penetrate the shadows. Seto's gaze swept the room, searching for some sign of... "Mokuba?"

Ignoring his own aches and pains, Seto rushed to the bed and bent over the small form huddled in the center of the mattress. "Mokuba? Are you all right?"

The huddled body slowly uncurled enough for the boy to lift his head and blink heavy-lidded eyes at Seto. "Big brother?"

"I'm here." Seto sank down onto the bed, reaching out a still-trembling hand to brush the long bangs out of Mokuba's face. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" Mokuba's voice was weak. It pierced Seto's dead heart like a knife.

 _Everything_. Without a word, Seto gathered the boy into his arms and, for the first time in millennia, wished he could weep.

　

o0o

　

It was late the next night when the Pharaoh sent for him. Leaving Mokuba in their shared suite, Seto followed the Malik to a tastefully appointed sitting room where Atem waited for him. After bowing Seto into the room, Malik departed, closing the door firmly behind him.

Standing before the lit fireplace with a glass of some dark liquid in one hand, Pharaoh Atem confronted him with a face as serene as a golden deathmask. "What have you to say for yourself, Cousin?"

"I would do it again." Seto lifted his chin and folded his arms over his chest, defensiveness warring with defiance.

"You are insufferable." Despite the rebuke, Atem's tone retained some of its usual, familial affection. Perhaps Seto would survive this encounter after all.

Swallowing hard, Seto tried to muster the arguments he'd plotted out the night before. "It was necessary..."

"It is forbidden! Or did you conveniently forget that I commanded no more Blood Servants to be created?" Fury turned Atem's deep voice harsh. That trace of affection had vanished.

"Oh, yes. It's such a horrible fate." His own anger rising, Seto felt his expression twist into a sneer. "No doubt that is why you've allowed that sycophant _Malik Ishtar_ to continue 'suffering' for so long in your service."

Atem drew himself up to his full height. Despite himself, Seto thought it far more impressive than it had any right to be when Atem's head only just reached Seto's shoulder. But the Pharaoh's aura of power more than made up for his vertical deficiency.

"Malik's creation was unintended." Atem swirled the liquid in his glass, then took a sip before adding, "An unfortunate mistake."

"A mistake you've yet to correct... _Your Majesty_." His insides trembling, Seto made the title an insult. He remembered what had led to that 'mistake' and, while a part of him couldn't fault Atem for it (no one could have predicted the circumstances which had led to Malik and his clan tunneling into Atem's tomb several thousand years after he and his priests had sealed themselves inside it), his worry for Mokuba over-rode his instinct for self-preservation and common sense.

Fortunately, His Majesty appeared to be in a forgiving mood tonight.

"I owe it to him to allow him to live for as long as he wishes." Atem suddenly sounded weary, as if the weight of every one of his almost five thousand years was bearing down on him. "When he tells me he is ready to die, I will release him."

"That will never happen," Seto scoffed. Even knowing he was pressing the boundaries of what Atem would tolerate, he couldn't stop himself from adding, "He's in love with you, you fool."

"It is what it is." Atem gestured dismissively with the hand holding the glass. "And it has no bearing on the fact that _you_ have disobeyed your king. You must be punished."

Seto had expected no less. He had known the fate he courted when he offered his blood to Mokuba Kaiba and planned the murder of the boy's abusive father. He had done it anyway. He would do it again. He also knew that he would accept the consequences of his actions. He hadn't come here to fight Atem or dispute his judgment; he had only one concern. "Just promise me that you'll help me settle the bond, afterward. And that you won't hurt Mokuba."

"He is innocent in this," Atem agreed. Turning, he set the glass on the marble mantle. The firelight painted his profile in sharp angles and deep shadows. "However, he will suffer your punishment with you."

" _What_? You just said you know he's innocent! Why would you punish him, too?" Seto demanded. "I did not expect Pharaoh to be so unmerciful -- nor so unjust!"

He expected Atem to lash out at him for the insult. He had not anticipated the regret that flickered over the Pharaoh's features before they settled back into that stoic royal mask. "I would spare the boy if I could, but it is not within my power."

Seto's jaw tightened. This, he had not anticipated. Truthfully, he had never paid that much attention to Atem's blood-bound minion, so he had little first-hand knowledge of the working of the bond between servant and master. Was there something he had missed? Something to do with how unsettled his own bond with Mokuba had become? "What do you mean?"

"Now, who is the fool? As your Blood Servant, the boy is tied to you. What affects you, affects him. If you are injured, he shares your pain. If you die, so does he. And he will suffer your punishment with you. It can be no other way."

No! After all that he had done to spare Mokuba, Seto would not allow this. He sank to his knees and bowed to touch his forehead to the floor at Atem's feet. When he spoke again, it was in the most formal tones and in a language long forgotten. "I beg Thy Majesty's leniency. For the boy."

"And I would grant that leniency -- for the boy."

"You _would_... but you will not." Seto's voice was flat. He sat up, but didn't rise. There seemed little point in it. He stared at his hands, resting limply on his bent knees.

"No."

" _Why_? Spare him this and I will accept any punishment, however demeaning, swear any oath you choose. I will be your _slave_ \--"

Atem interrupted him, his tone stern, "The Shadows obey me because I defeated them. I'm certain you remember that my victory was not an easy one... nor without cost."

And Seto did remember, the horror of that memory causing his gut to clench and his fingers to curl into fists. Pharaoh had come all too close to losing that battle. He had almost fallen -- to the Shadows and to the curse that had set them upon him in the first place. This eternal existence they shared, forced upon them by the curse and the magic binding the seven Millennium Items and their holders, was not one Seto would have chosen. But it beat the fate planned for them all. For _that_ , at least, Seto knew he should be grateful to his king.

"If I were to show weakness -- or what the Shadows _perceive_ as weakness -- they would attack me again," Atem continued, unaware of the direction Seto's thoughts had taken. "I might not be so fortunate a second time. And, if I am defeated, the Shadows will turn us all into true monsters. You know what that means."

Seto bowed his head. He knew that Atem was right, though it galled him to admit it. If the Shadows won their freedom, they would over-run the human realm, turning it into a literal hell on earth. And they, the Pharaoh and his court, would be the worst weapons at the Shadows' disposal -- monstrous slaves, instruments of terror and destruction with tremendous power but no will of their own. No way to fight the control of the Shadows as they destroyed the world. His hands clenched at his sides. "Get on with it, then."

"Very well."

Seto looked up, stunned by the sheer power in Pharaoh's voice. Atem's eyes glowed red and, in the darkness of the parlor, the Eye of Judgment burned upon his forehead. His crimson gaze bored into Seto's very soul and, in a voice that Seto swore he could feel reverberating in his own chest, intoned the words that would decide his punishment.

" _Let us play a game_."

　

　

FIN

**Author's Note:**

> Edited to correct some spelling problems. Because I shouldn't post on the day after dental surgery, apparently. 
> 
> Thanks to everyone who left kudos!


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